Mushtaq Ahmad

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission | PAEC · Isotope Production Division, PINSTECH, Islamabad (Retired on September 9, 2013)

A comparison of Technetium-99m and Fluorine-18 properties is carried out. Availability of both radionuclides is described. Radiation doses by their use in SPECT and PET procedures are analysed. Supply and costs of Technetium-99m and Fluorine-18 are compared. Various compounds of these radionuclides used in diagnosis by PET and SPECT are listed. Tec...

More than 130 radionuclides are being used worldwide for therapeutic, diagnostic, and preventative purposes in the medical field. Using radionuclides, different organs can be imaged, and malfunction revealed. The most commonly used radionuclide in diagnosis by SPECT is technetium-99m (99m Tc), with some 40 million procedures yearly, almost 80% of a...

A complex of lincomycin was synthesized with technetium-99m. The synthesis was carried out by using SnCl 2 .2H 2 O as reducing agent and ascorbic acid as stabilizer. The effect of various parameters such as amount of ligand/reducing agent, pH value and reaction time on radio labeling process was studied. The characterization of the 99m Tc-Lincomyci...

Low enriched uranium foil (19.99% 235U) may be used as target material for the production of fission molybdenum-99 (99Mo) in the Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1). LEU foil annular targets or LEU foil plate targets can be irradiated in PARR-1 for the production of >100 Ci of 99Mo at the end of irradiation. Neutronic and thermal hydraulic analysi...

Radiocomplextion of zoledronic acid (ZL), a potent bisphosphonate with Lutetium-177, was investigated. The 177Lu-ZL complex was assessed for its radiochemical purity, in vitro stability and bone uptake by scintigrpahic images. A stable 177Lu-ZL complex was observed with > 99.0±0.5% radiochemical yield and remained stable for more than 7 hours in vi...

Radiocomplextion of zoledronic acid (ZL), a potent bisphosphonate with Lutetium-177, was investigated. The 177Lu-ZL complex was assessed for its radiochemical purity, in vitro stability and bone uptake by scintigrpahic images. A stable 177Lu-ZL complex was observed with > 99.0±0.5% radiochemical yield and remained stable for more than 7 hours in vi...

Iodine-131 was generated by irradiation of natural tellurium dioxide in a nuclear reactor. After irradiation the tellurium dioxide was transferred to hot cell and heated in a quartz furnace at ~700 °C. The Iodine-131 was distilled and collected in carbonate/bicarbonate buffer and used for thyroid cancer patients. The tellurium dioxide used was >99...

The optimum conditions to label ethylenediaminetetramethylene phosphonate (EDTMP) compound with 90y as a potential candidate for bone metastases therapy were nvestigated. Yttrium-90 is a pure β-emitter and can be obtained by 89y (n,γ) 90y nuclear reaction in a reactor or from an in-house generator system (90sr→90y). The preparation of 90Y-EDTMPis d...

With the inception of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1956, peaceful uses of atomic energy commenced for the benefit of scientific community as well as masses of Pakistan. Radiochemistry played a vital role right from the beginning. The research and development in this field accelerated soon after the criticality of the first research r...

Labelling of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) with 99mTc was achieved by using SnCl2·2H2O as reducing agent. Radiochemical purity and labelling efficiency was determined by instant thin layer chromatography/paper chromatography. Efficiency of labelling was dependent on many parameters such as amount of ligand, reducing agent, pH, and time of incubatio...

Silver coated alumina was prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Compositional changes were investigated with energy dispersive system (EDS). A method of Iodine-131 separation from uranium, actinides and fission products was developed. Uranium aluminum alloy target plates were irradiated in the...

In Pakistan we do not have a National Cancer Registry. Some institutions have started to develop their own Cancer Registry. According to the World Health Organisation annually 120,000 people in Pakistan are diagnosed with cancer. All three types of radiotherapy procedures, teletherapy, brachytherapy and unsealed sources are being employed for treat...

Abstract: The 99mTc or its parent shortage both present and future is a worldwide issue. Every country is trying to address this problem in its own capacity. United States is again establishing facilities for fission 99Mo production using LEU targets. In many countries production of high specific activity99Mo by accelerators is also emphasized.

Beside extraction of Molybdenum-99 (99 Mo; T½ = 66 h) from large number of fission products, uranium and actinides, separation of some useful radioisotopes, like Iodine-131(131 I; T½ = 8 d), Xenon-133 (133 Xe; T½ = 5.27 d), Strontium-90 (90 Sr; T½ = 28.8 y) and Caesium-137 (137 Cs; T½ = 30.03 y) etc., may also be carried out for their application i...

Beside extraction of Molybdenum-99 (99 Mo; T ½ = 66 h) from large number of fission products, Uranium and actinides, separation of some useful radioisotopes, like Iodine-131(131 I; T ½ = 8 d), Xenon-133 (133 Xe; T ½ = 5.27 d), Strontium-90 (90 Sr; T ½ = 28.8 y) and Cesium-137 (137 Cs; T ½ = 30.03 y) etc., may also be carried out for their applicati...

COBALT-60 Cobalt is a metal element with only one stable isotope: cobalt-59. When natural cobalt slugs are placed in a nuclear reactor, the nuclei absorb thermal neutrons to make cobalt-60, a radionuclide with a 5.27-year half-life. Cobalt-60 undergoes beta decay (emits an electron and a neutrino) and emits two gamma rays with each decay; one at 1....

Iridium-192 Iridium, one of the densest metal (22.42 g/cm 3 , same as osmium), is very hard and brittle, and is difficult to machine. It is also very resistant to chemical reaction and has a high melting point (over 2400°C). Natural iridium is 37 % iridium-191 and 63 % iridium-193. Iridium-192 radiation sources are made by irradiating natural iridi...

Abstrct Both reactors (Pakistan Research Reactor–1 and Pakistan Research Reactor-2) at PINSTECH have been used for human resource development, radioisotope production and neutron activation analysis. Beam work usually includes using neutron beams outside of the PARR-1 for a variety of analytical purposes. Facility for neutron radiography, prompt ga...

Rhenium-188 (T1/2=16.9h) has great potential for a variety of therapeutic applications, including radionuclide synovectomy, oncology and bone pain palliation. The radioactive concentration of 188Re is dependent upon the specific activity of 188W, which dictates the bed size of the alumina/gel column. Due to the high content of inactive tungsten in...

Uranium aluminide predominated with UAl2 phase was prepared by arc-melting procedures and comminuted to required particle size. UAl2 and Al powders were blended and compacted to achieve LEU fuel density of 2.17 g/cm3. The picture-frame technique was used to clad the dispersions (UAl2–Al) with aluminum. A few target plates were fabricated by thermo-...

Ceragenins/cationic steroid antimicrobials (CSAs) are a group of cholic acid derivatives with many properties that make them favourable for application as anti-infective agents. CSA-107 is also a member of this group that was labelled with 99mTc by using SnCl2·2H2O as reducing agent and Na–K tartrate as transchelating agent. Labelling efficiency wa...

Technetium-99m and iodine-131 are the leading isotopes used in diagnosis and radiotherapy, respectively in Pakistani nuclear medical centers. Both radionuclides are regularly supplied by Isotope Production Division (IPD), PINSTECH to nuclear medical centers in Pakistan. The packages of 32P, 99Mo → 99mTc generators, and 131I, are prepared at IPD and...

An innovative process for fission based 99Mo production has been developed under Isotope Technologies Dresden (ITD) GmbH (former Hans W¨alischmiller GmbH (HWM), Branch Office Dresden), and its functionality has been tested and proved at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad. Targets made from uranium aluminu...

An innovative process for fission based 99Mo production has been developed under Isotope Technologies Dresden (ITD) GmbH (former Hans Wälischmiller GmbH (HWM), Branch Office Dresden), and its functionality has been tested and proved at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad. Targets made from uranium aluminum...

Iodine-131 was generated by irradiation of natural tellurium dioxide in a nuclear reactor. After irradiation the tellurium dioxide was transferred to hot cell and heated in a quartz furnace at*700 �C. The Iodine-131 was distilled and collected in carbonate/bicarbonate buffer and used for thyroid cancer patients. The tellurium dioxide used was [99 %...

Nuclear power in Pakistan is provided by 3 licensed-commercial nuclear power plants, KANUPP, CHANUPP-1 and CHASNUPP-2. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is solely responsible for operating these power plants while Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) is licenser, who devises, adopts, makes and enforces rules, regulations, orders...

IAEA CRP final report: Feasibility of producing molybdenum-99 on a small scale using fission of low enriched uranium or neutron activation of natural molybdenum — Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2015. p. ; 24 cm. — (Technical reports series, ISSN 0074–1914 ; no. 478)

Daunorubicin is a chemotherapeutic antibiotic of the anthracycline family used for the treatment of many type of cancers when doxorubicin or other less effective drugs cannot be used. The aim of the present study was labeling of Daunorubicin with (99m)Tc, quality control, characterization, and biodistribution of radiolabeled Daunorubicin. Labeling...

Fission produced Mo-99/Tc-99m generators, called Pakgen, have been manufactured at the PINSTECH generator production facility since 2000 for nuclear medicine applications in Pakistan. These generators were loaded with fission Mo-99 imported from NTP South Africa. Recently production of fission Mo-99 has begun in the Molybdenum-99 Production Facilit...

Technetium-99m, the daughter product of Molybdenum-99 is the most widely needed radionuclide for diagnostic studies in Pakistan. Molybdenum-99 Production Facility has been established at PINSTECH. Highly enriched uranium (93% 235U) U/Al alloy targets have been irradiated in Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1) for the generation of fission Mo-99, w...

Summary: Rhenium-188 (T1/2=16.9h) has great potential for a variety of therapeutic applications, including radionuclide synovectomy, oncology and bone pain palliation. The radioactive concentration of 188Re is dependent upon the specific activity of 188W, which dictates the bed size of the alumina/gel column. Due to the high content of inactive tun...

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antineoplastic and one of the most potent and widely used drugs in clinical oncology. It is used in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. The aim of this study was the direct labeling of DOX with 99mTc; its optimization, characterization and quality control of the radiolabeled DOX. Labeling efficiency was...

In last few years, the shortage of molybdenum-99 (99Mo) was felt in the developed and developing countries hospitals, where diagnostic nuclear medicine is practiced. To overcome the shortage of 99Mo various routes of its production by accelerators and reactors generating low and high specific activity products have been planned. High specific activ...

The demand of radioisotopes is rising due to wide-ranging applications in industry, agriculture, medicine and in research. Two sources of artificial radioisotopes are accelerators and reactors. The reactor offers large volume for irradiation, simultaneous irradiation of different samples and economy of production, whereas accelerators are generally...

Technetium-99m (99mTc) has ideal physical properties for a lot of applications in nuclear medicine and therefore it is still the budding radionuclide of choice. The concentration of 99mTc is dependent upon the specific activity of molybdenum-99 (99Mo). Because of the high content of inactive molybdenum in neutron irradiated MoO3, large columns cont...

Technetium-99m, the daughter product of Molybdenum-99 is the most widely needed radionuclide for diagnostic studies in Pakistan. Molybdenum-99 Production Facility has been established at PINSTECH. Highly enriched uranium (93% 235 U) U/Al alloy targets have been irradiated in Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1) for the generation of fission Mo-99,...

Molybdenum-99 is a parent of diagnostic nuclear medicine. It decays to technetium-99m, which used in over 30 million investigations per year around the world. Supplies of Tc-99m remained fragile in the last few years, which may occur again in the short and long term. Few suggestions have been registered in this letter to cope inadequate supply of t...

No-carrier-added 90Y was separated from 90Sr via colloid formation of 90Y in basic media. The mixture was passed through glass wool or membrane filter. The filtrate contained 90Sr, while 90Y was retained on glass wool/membrane filter. Yttrium-90 was extracted with 0.1 M HCl. Contamination of 90Sr was 90Y-EDTMP was confirmed by paper chromatography.

Hydrous titanium oxide was prepared and its affinity as an adsorbent for molybdenum (Mo-99) and its potential for use in Tc-99m generators were evaluated. Adsorption behavior of molybdate on hydrous titanium oxide was studied at boiling water bath temperature (similar to 100 degrees C) using radiotracer technique. Various parameters affecting the a...

A heritage of physical consequences of the U.S.-Soviet arms race has accumulated, the weapons-grade plutonium (WPu), which will become excess as a result of the dismantlement of the nuclear weapons under the arms reduction agreements. Disposition of Pu has been proposed by mixing WPu with high-level radioactive waste with subsequent vitrification i...

Skeletal uptake of β(-)-emitting radionuclides may be used for bone pain palliation or myeloablation. The physical characteristics of the β(-) particles required for the two conditions are, however, different, that is, higher energies are favorable for destruction of bone marrow. In this study, the labeling conditions of ethylene diamine tetramethy...

In all probability, the same criteria applied to evaluate the safety of the reactor fuel shall be used to evaluate the safety of the targets used for the production of fission molybdenum-99. Thus, neutronic and thermal hydraulics considerations will dictate the maximum power of the targets, their uranium content, and the uniformity requirements for...

Radioisotopes can be produced by reactors and accelerators. For certain isotopes there could be an advantage to a certain production method. However, nowadays many reports suggest, that useful isotopes needed in medicine, industry and research could be produced efficiently and dependence on reactors using enriched U-235 may be eliminated. In my vie...

Adsorption behavior of molybdate on acidic alumina was studied at boiling water bath temperature (~100°C). Various parameters affecting the adsorption of molybdenum, such as pH, amount of molybdenum, incubation period, etc., were determined. A 99mTc generator was prepared by adsorbing low specific activity 99Mo (150mg) on 1g alumina. Elutions were...

Production of Copper-64 (64Cu) by irradiating copper and zinc metals in a reactor was evaluated. Low specific activity 64Cu can be easily produced using thermal neutrons via 63Cu (n,γ) 64Cu reaction, while use of fast neutrons are mandatory for high specific activity 64Cu via 64Zn (n,p) 64Cu reaction. Natural copper and zinc targets were irradiated...

Production of radioactive scandium by irradiating natural titanium metal in Pakistan Research Reactor-1 was evaluated. The production rate of 47Sc and other radioactive scandium was estimated. High specific activity 47Sc can be produced by irradiating enriched 47Ti in sufficient quantities needed for therapeutic applications. A new separation techn...

Large columns containing aluminum oxide (Al2O3) or gel (e.g. zirconium molybdate) are needed to prepare 98Mo(n,γ)99Mo→99mTc column chromatographic generators that results in large elution volumes containing relatively high 99Mo impurity and low concentrations of 99mTc. The decrease in radioactive concentration or specific volume concentration of 99...

fac(S)-[Ir(aet)(3)] (aet = 2-aminoethanethiolate) is N3S3 metalloligand, which forms S-bridged polynuclear complexes with transition metal ions. A complex analogous to [Re{Ir(aet(3))}(2)](3+) was formed by the reaction of (99m)TcO(4)Na and fac(S)-[Ir(aet)(3)] in the presence of SnCl(2)2H(2)O. A simple method for radiollabelling of fac(S)-[Ir(aet)(3...

A new formulation of a freeze-dried kit for the labeling of tetrofosmin with technetium-99m has been developed. The kit contains lyophilized mixture of 0.320mg tetrofosmin [6,9-bis(2-ethoxyethyl)-3,12-dioxa-6,9-diphosphatetradecane], 0.025mg stannous chloride dihydrate, 5mg sodium tartrate and 5mg sodium hydrogen carbonate. The product contains no...

Technetium-99m is the short-lived daughter product of the parent molybdenum-99, which is mainly produced by the fission of uranium-235. Management of radioactive waste is an integral part of fission 99Mo production and has high priority during the planning, design, construction and operational phase of a molybdenum-99 production facility. Within th...

Nearly 95 percent of the world demand for molybdenum-99 (Mo-99)—perhaps the world's most important medical isotope—is met by just four manufacturers, all of whom use highly enriched uranium (HEU) targets in their isotope production programs. Research and development on the use of low-enriched uranium targets and gel generators to produce Mo-99 bega...

Low enriched uranium foil (19.99% 235U) will be used as target material for the production of fission Molybdenum-99 in Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1). LEU foil plate target proposed by University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) will be irradiated in PARR-1 for the production of 100Ci of Molybdenum-99 at the end of irradiation, which will...

Ceragenins (CSAs) are a new class of antimicro-bial agents that display broad spectrum antibacterial activity and may find use in the treatment of various infections. A member of this class CSA-13 was labelled with 99m Tc using SnCl 2 ·2H 2 O as a reducing agent. The labelling efficiency depended on the ligand/reductant ratio, pH and volume of the...

Large columns containing aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3) or gel (e.g. zirconium molybdate) are needed to prepare 98 Mo(n,γ) 99 Mo→ 99m Tc column chromatographic generators that results in large elution volumes containing relatively high 99 Mo impurity and low concentrations of 99m Tc. The decrease in radioactive concentration or specific volume concentra...

Arsenic-77 (71/2 = 1.6d) was produced by irradiating natural germanium in Pakistan Research Reactor-1. The nuclear reaction 76Ge(n, y) produces 77Ge, which decays by emission of β- particles into 77As. The neutron irradiated target was dissolved in aqua regia, excess of acid was removed by evaporation and finally the solution in basic media was pas...

Ceragenins (CSAs) are a new class of antimicrobial agents that display broad spectrum antibacterial activity and may find use in the treatment of various infections. A member of this class CSA-13 was labelled with 99mTc using SnCl2·2H2O as a reducing agent. The labelling efficiency depended on the ligand/reductant ratio, pH and volume of the reacti...

fac(S)-[Rh(aet)3] (aet = 2-aminoethanethiolate) is N3S3 metalloligand which can coordinate to transition metal ions to form S-bridge polynuclear complexes. The reaction was carried out between 99mTcO4Na and fac(S)-[Rh(aet)3] in the presence of SnCl2·2H2O. A complex analogous to [Re{Rh(aet3)}2]3+ is formed.6 A simple method for radiolabeling of fac(...

Locally produced DMSA-III tagged with Tc-99m was not providing proper renal scanning images and showed instability problem. By using D-Mannitol in place of Myo-Inositol as stabilizer, stability of ligand in kidney enhances, kit remains intact with its contents for three months (period of study). Dissolving DMSA ligand in NaOH, initial turbidity pro...

The metallic cation, (68)Ga (III) is suitable for complexation with chelators either naked or conjugated with biological macromolecules, however, such labeling procedure requires high chemical purity and concentrated solutions of (68)Ga (III), which cannot be sufficiently fulfilled by the presently available (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator eluate. A method...

Fission molybdenum-99 based technetium-99m chromatography generators are the most widely employed generator systems in the field of diagnostic nuclear medicine. In the first week these generators provide high specific volume activity Na99mTcO4, but in the second week the radioactive concentration of the eluate (99mTc) becomes 17% of that at the beg...

Many groups have reported the adsorption or retention of (99m)Tc-radiopharmaceuticals on injection vials and disposable plastic syringes. Such an enormously high loss of radioactivity would result in poor images, radiation exposure, waste, and economic burdens. We therefore decided to investigate the extent of adsorption or retention of several (99...

Neutronic and thermal hydraulic analysis for the fission molybdenum-99 production at PARR-1 has been performed. Low enriched uranium foil (<20% 235U) will be used as target material. Annular target designed by ANL (USA) will be irradiated in PARR-1 for the production of 100 Ci of molybdenum-99 at the end of irradiation, which will be sufficient to...

Because of the high content of inactive molybdenum in neutron irradiated MoO3, large columns containing alumina or gel are needed to produce chromatographic 99Mo→99mTc generator. This results in large elution volumes containing relatively high 99Mo breakthrough and low concentrations of 99mTcO4-. The decrease in specific volume of 99mTc places a li...

The high bolus volumes (20-40 mL) of the generator-produced Rhenium-188 require post elution concentration of the eluate for the preparation of a dissolved β- source and radiopharmaceuticals labeled with Re-188 for radiotherapy. Solvent extraction of 188Re in methyl ethyl ketone was studied. With the increase of organic phase volume, extraction of...